Agric needs radical transformation - Esson-Benjamin

THE Chief Executive of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, has called for a compelling transformation and competitiveness in the country’s agricultural sector.
“If we do not capture this sector, then we have a problem because agriculture is the vehicle of transformation,” he stated, adding that “what we produce must be of quality and comparable anywhere else in the world, either in the sub-region or in external markets”.
Speaking at a workshop for consultants who are bidding for contracts from MiDA in Accra , Mr Eson-Benjamin said the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Ghana Compact was the answer to Ghana’s development agenda.
Under the compact, the Government of Ghana received a US$547 million from the United States Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to support the country’s agricultural transformation programme.
“The programme has three components, including agriculture, transportation and rural development,” he noted, indicating that the goal was to reduce poverty by raising the income of farmers through a private-sector-led and agri-business development.
The programme, he added, focused in increasing the production and productivity of high-value cash and food staple crops and to enhance their competitiveness in both local and international markets.
According to Mr Eson-Benjamin, under the common theme for the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS I & II) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s), the MCA Ghana Compact was one of the best opportunities Ghana had had since independence to transform the Ghanaian economy, particularly in the rural parts of the country, where at least over 60,000 farmers in 23 countries would be given assistance.
The goal of the compact, he said, was basically to reduce poverty through economic growth by ensuring effective implementation of the three core objectives (agriculture, transportation and rural development) as outlined by MiDA.
Mr Eson-Benjamin attributed one of the key constraints in the agricultural sector to the country’s transportation system, which he said had contributed to the loss in the market value of produce from the sector.
“The poor road system, especially in the rural area, is one of the reasons for the high levels of poverty in Ghana’s rural farming communities,” he added and emphasised that the project sought to reduce the transportation costs, which were affecting agricultural commerce at the sub-regional and regional levels.
The Transportation/Agric Infrastructure Project Manager for MiDA, Mr J. B. Koranteng-Yorke, briefed contractors on the transportation project under the programme, stating that the project sought to remove bottlenecks that hindered increased agricultural production and productivity in the intervention zones, such as the Northern, Southern and Afram Plains zones.
“The objective of the project is to reduce the transportation cost affecting agricultural commerce at the sub-regional and regional levels in order to improve the competitiveness of Ghana’s agricultural producers,” he said.
To ensure this, Koranteng-Yorke revealed that the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange-Mallam Junction would be upgraded, hinting that the work involved the development of the corridor into a three-lane dual carriageway with interchange facilities at Dimple and Mallam Junction.
Aside that, he said two double-ended vehicle/pedestrian ferries would be constructed at landing stages at Adawso and Ekye Amanfrom to allow two ferries to dock at the same time.
“The Floating Dock at Akosombo will also be rehabilitated to enhance the capacity of the Volta Lake Transport Company to do construction, repairs and maintenance of ferries on the lake,” he assured.